James R. Carney
James R. Carney, 87, of Sun City Center, Fla., passed away February 14, 2014. He served in the United States Navy and retired as a charter boat captain. He was a member of the VFW, the Moose and the Elks lodges in both Maryland and Florida.
He was preceded in death by his four brothers: Chester, Robert, William and Gene Carney.
Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Judith; daughters Sandra (Jorge) Alves, Andrea (Bill) Schoonover, Cheryl Wilkinson and Lori (John) Suomela; 11 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Memorial service with Military Honors will be at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 23, 2104 at Sun City Center Funeral Home, Sun City Center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250, Dallas, TX 75244.
Travis Caudill
Travis Caudill, 81, of Ruskin died Monday, February 10. He was born to the late Stephen and Corsia Caudill on July 10, 1932, in Clay County, Ky. He married Etna Eileen on August 6, 1955, and they lived together in Bethel, Ohio, where they had three children, Joan, Darrell and Jeffery, before relocating to Ruskin in 1976.
Travis was a spot welder for General Motors and retired after several years of service. He attended Ruskin First Assembly of God and Destiny Church since 1976. He loved to travel with his wife Eileen and they enjoyed many road trips together.
Travis is survived by wife Eileen; son Jeffrey; daughters–in-law Jill and Lorraine; grandchildren Donna, Shanna, David and Travis; as well as several nieces and nephews and extended family that loved him dearly.
Travis enjoyed fishing, music, singing, spending time with family and traveling.
Travis will be remembered as a loving, caring, funny, patient, strong, praying man of God. A great legacy for all of us to live up to. He is walking the Streets of Glory with his son and daughter. Forever in our hearts until we meet again in Heaven.
Arrangements by Zipperer’s Funeral Home.
Claude V. Gardner
Claude V. Gardner passed away on February 13, 2014. Claude was born in 1910 in Iola, Kan. He grew up in Arkansas City, Kan., where he met and married Edie in 1932. They had four children: Donald, Lynn, Jill, and Claudia. They lived many years in St. Louis, where Claude calculated rates for a trucking company.
In his free time, Claude single-handedly built a family swimming pool, repaired old clocks, refinished antique furniture and restored a 1948 Pontiac convertible. He entered this automobile in a number of car shows and won first place many times.
After retirement, Claude and Edie lived in California for a number of years, before moving to Sun City Center in 2006. He had good friends at the Sun City Center walking pool, where he walked for an hour every day. He was a dear husband, father, and friend.
Arrangements by Zipperer’s Funeral Home.
Dorothea Morgan Oaks
Dorothea Morgan Oaks, age 103, of Chapel Hill, N.C., passed away on Monday, February 10, 2014, at her residence. A native of Lebanon, Ind., Mrs. Oaks was the daughter of the late Vern Morgan and Beatrice Powell Morgan. She worked in retail and was a member of the Baptist faith. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ivan Oakes, daughter Patricia N. Abney, who passed away in 2008, and sister Thelma Harris, who passed away in 2007.
She is survived by granddaughters Malia (Jimmy) Reed of Chapel Hill and Lisa Michon of Nashville, Tenn.; grandson Kevin (Cathy) Wilson of Sparta, N.C.; 11 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.
The family will hold private services at a later date.
Condolences of sympathy may be sent to www.billsmcgaugh.com.
Bills-McGaugh Funeral Home & Crematory of Lewisburg, Tenn., is in charge of the arrangements.
Clarke K. Olson
Clarke K. Olson, of Sun City Center, Florida (formerly of Lake Linden, Mich.), passed away Monday, February 4, 2014 ,after a short illness. He was born in Owattona, Minn. on April 27, 1917, the son of Lynn Stevens Olson, a banker in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and Lillian King Olson. He is predeceased by brother Cort Olson and sister Lynor Olson Currier.
Clarke attended public schools in Owattona and Duluth, Minn., and attended and graduated from Michigan Tech University, where he helped put himself through school playing saxophone and singing baritone for Warnie Ruhl’s big band at dances in Houghton, Mich. He continued his music, entertaining family and friends his entire life. He later attended Ann Arbor School of Law before joining the Army just before Pearl Harbor. He left the army as a major, staying in the reserves a few more years. While in the service, he married Celia Pearce of Lake Linden, Mich. (deceased in 2001) and lived in several locations, including Arlington, Va., and Bend, Ore., before returning to Houghton County, Mich., where he headed the Superior Bottled Gas Co., serving the Upper Peninsula and parts of Wisconsin.
He later earned his master’s degree and taught mining math at Michigan Tech University in Houghton, Mich.
Clarke and Celia raised five children in Lake Linden and Bootjack, Mich.: Lynn Gareau, deceased in 2013; Jim, deceased in 2012; Chester Pearce, currently of Silver Springs, Fla.; Kathryn Umbarger (John) of Burbank, Wash.; Betsy West of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Deborah Frontiera (Jasper) of Houston, Texas.
Over the years, Clarke, his family and Celia traveled by sailboat, and later motor trawler, exploring most of Lake Superior’s islands and lakeshore. At one point he took his trawler up the St. Lawrence River, down through New York State canals, down the East Coast to Ruskin, Fla., where they spent winters, returning four years later by the same route.
He and Celia also traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East, spending winters in Sun City Center, where Clarke finally settled for the last 13 years.
Besides his children and niece Cortney Webb (Gary), he is survived by 12 grandchildren and several great- grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium at Freedom Plaza, 1010 American Eagle Blvd., Sun City Center, on March 3, 2014. For more details, call (727) 600-7751.
In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to do so may make donations in Clarke’s name at Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KA 66675; www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate.
William (Bill) Richmond Sr.
William (Bill) J. Richmond Sr., 79, who was born in Latham, N.Y., and resided in Riverview, Fla., passed away on Feb. 14, 2014, after a courageous fight against cancer.
He was Catholic by faith and a career Navy Corpsman whose service spanned through Korea and Vietnam. He retired again from the VA Hospital, Albany, N.Y., where he served as a Physician’s Assistant, caring for fellow servicemen. He was a mentor of youth in the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps, serving as NE Regional Commander at the rank of Lt. Commander.
He is preceded in death by parents Alfred E. and Ada, brothers John and Alfred G., and beloved first wife Marie Lucille. He is survived by loving wife Joyce; sister Adelaide; sons Marc, Michael, James, Edward and William Jr.; daughter Michele; step-children Patrick, Cheryl, Mark and Paul; 21 grandchildren; and two great- grandchildren.
He was appreciated by many and loved by all for leaving this world a better place. He will be missed by a mass of friends associated with Summerfield Crossings and all those he met through life’s journey … as he never met a stranger.
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. at Summerfield Crossing Golf Club on Thursday, Feb. 20, with the final resting ceremony to be held in St. Joseph, Minn., at a date to be determined.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Disabled American Veterans or Wounded Warriors.
Signy Landmark Rudolphy
Signy Landmark Rudolphy, 84, of Sun City Center, passed away February 8, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. She was predeceased by her husband, Edward, who died in October 2011.
Signy is survived by daughters Cynthia Wood, Pamela German, Jennifer Bieksha and Margaret Brusletto; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
A private memorial will be held at a later date in Hilton Head, SC.
The family wishes to extend its appreciation to the LifePath Hospice Gold Team, and to the many kind staff members of ManorCare of Carrollwood, for their caring support during their mother’s illness.
Gary Lee Tharp
Gary Lee Tharp, 59, of Cottondale, Fla., went home to be with the Lord on January 31, 2014, at the Northwest Florida Community Hospital.
Gary was born on November 17, 1954, in Tampa, Fla., to Perry Lee and Sara Frances Tharp. He had lived in Cottondale ever since he moved from Ruskin, Fla., in 1984.
Gary was a member of Sapp Holiness Church. He loved gospel music and going to church. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Linda Hailes.
He is survived by sister Diane Fleming of Ruskin; brother-in-law Malcolm Hailes of Chipley, Fla.; nieces and nephews Vicki Silva of Ruskin, Bill Stroud of Glenrock, Pa., Dwayne Phillips (Susan) of Dade City, Fla., and Chrissy Ward (James) of Chipley; several great-nieces and -nephews; and extended family.
Funeral services were held on February 4 at Sapp Holiness Church. Burial followed in Rock Hill Cemetery in Chipley.